Jefferson Parish School Board weighs in on legislative session

The Jefferson Parish School Board has taken a stand on several legislative bills, including one by a former colleague.

The board voted last week to oppose House Bill 303 by Rep. Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, which would let home-schooled students participate in sports and other extracurricular activies at public schools in their attendance districts. Board members said that in addition to posing liability concerns, the bill is unfair to regular education students whose positions on athletic teams teams could be affected.

This is the third consecutive year that Henry, a former member of the School Board, has proposed the legislation.

Rep. Cameron Henry The board also expressed opposition to House Bill 59, which would give voters two fewer hours to cast ballots at the polls. The bill by Rep. Franklin Foil, R-Baton Rouge, would change polling place hours to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. rather than 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Among bills that the board supports is House Bill 177 by Rogers Pope, R-Denham Springs, which would require the state to pay the costs of transporting students of non-public schools.

At present, Jefferson pays about $500,000 for this service, said Lale Geer, Jefferson's assistant superintendent of operations said.

Gov. Bobby Jindal discontinued the payment in his proposed budget, placing the burden on local school systems. For Jefferson, which leads the state with 176 nationally certified teachers, that would mean a bill of $880,000.